Why War ?

Article

Why are we at war in Afghanistan.

Oh I hear reasons all the time. The Americans want oil and it's a money (oil) grab, or the Taliban want to conquer the world and make everyone a muslim.


Afghanistan produced record levels of opium in 2007 for the second straight year, led by a staggering 45 percent increase in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand Province, according to a new United Nations survey to be released Monday


But my instincts tell me these are just extremist views , that the truth lies elsewhere somewhere.

I mean lets face it , what kind of idots face the elite american troops, and then lose battle after battle after battle and keep on fighting. Is their religion really that precious to them ?


While the report found that opium production dropped in northern Afghanistan, Western officials briefed on the assessment said, cultivation rose in the south, where Taliban insurgents urge farmers to grow poppies.


I mean , these people must be the most dedicated fanatics around , and likely the most dangerous. They routinely violate their own religious rules , for example. Islam is supposed to be a religion of peace , but they're running around kidnapping and killing people like crazy. What could possibly motivate people to such an extent ?


In Taliban-controlled areas, traffickers have opened more labs that process raw opium into heroin, vastly increasing its value. The number of drug labs in Helmand rose to roughly 50 from 30 the year before, and about 16 metric tons of chemicals used in heroin production have been confiscated this year.


I suppose we'll just have to soldier on against these fanatics and their self corrupted religion. It's obvious they will never give up their holy war, and this is going to be a long , long battle.


Here in Helmand, the breadth of the poppy trade is staggering. A sparsely populated desert province twice the size of Maryland, Helmand produces more narcotics than any country on earth, including Myanmar, Morocco and Colombia. Rampant poverty, corruption among local officials, a Taliban resurgence and spreading lawlessness have turned the province into a narcotics juggernaut.